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Spring Kola Trip: Red Cloud and Little Wound

After months of correspondence and preparation, three MBA students from The Kola Foundation traveled to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to promote the foundation’s higher education initiatives. The trip took place February 26th through March 2nd. In the previous months, members of The Kola Foundation have worked hard to raise money for the scholarship fund, created a mentorship program, and partnered with the College of ACES to extend the Research Apprenticeship Summer Program opportunity to Pine Ridge Students. The Kola Foundation will also provide transportation and food for students admitted from Pine Ridge. With all the initial planning in place, it was time to execute these initiatives.

Kola representatives Brittany Hopper, John O’Hara, and Nahree Ki visited Red Cloud and Little Wound High School to give presentations on educational opportunities at the University of Illinois. With handouts and brochures in hand, they engaged bright students who were interested in attending the University of Illinois. The Kola Foundation members also met with local business owners and Pine Ridge Elders during evening activities such as Rapid City’s high school basketball tournament and the Pine Ridge pow-pow. During the trip, 6 students from Red Cloud and 10 students from Little Wound completed and submitted applications to the Research Apprenticeship Summer Program and were also invited to be matched with Illinois MBA mentors. Though the trip was short, The Kola Foundation feels that it was very productive and looks forward to making higher education more accessible to the high school students of Pine Ridge.

To find out more about the Kola Foundation, please visit www.kolafoundation.org!